Help advertising mesh development?

[Fauxglove Silverweb]

I do custom mesh, specializing in exclusive models for resale by other store owners. While I get some business by word-of-mouth from happy clients, I'm still struggling to find an effective way to advertise my services.

Places where content providers congregate are very rare.  I haven't had a lot of luck posting to the Help Wanted or Employment forums, and this forum is definitely not the place for advertisements.  I've tried assorted groups inside SL specifically built for advertising, but mostly they seem tuned for advertising events. And in spite of monitoring half a dozen groups specifically for custom mesh work, they're mostly dead.

So my question is, if you were inclined to contract mesh work, how would you go about finding it?  How can I get my services in front of people who need it without turning into a nuisance?

[MIstahMoose]

I'm not sure. Word of mouth goes a long way in SL. However Looking at your portfolio I would suggest remodeling it? Its very noisy and from a quick glance it doesn't seem very impressive. So after that quick glance a lot of potential people are already ready to move on. Product advertisements != portfolio pictures
I'm not sure if you made the product photos in your portfolio but those also could use work. The text reads like a nonstop sentence with all the information bungled up. Clarity is key, my eyes shouldn't cross trying to figure out what features an item has.

As far as marketing goes stating the cost per hour up front tends to scare people off. I usually butter them up then hit them with a linden cost, not in USD so that its not as scary. 25,000L is less scary than $100 to most people.

Also consider improving your own skills, I'm not meaning this as an insult but your mesh is O.K. Its not great, and if its only O.K. and takes you X amount of time you either need to get faster to make the same level of work or make higher quality work. I personally would not pay $15 an hour for your level of work. Seek out critiques and try to learn new methods with the programs you use.

Consider starting your own store to make $$$ While you wait for custom orders. It advertises your skill and products while making people perv your profile to check out who made the item, and their friends will share your store. AS well as advertising in-world locations is SO MUCH easier than advertising yourself. Make a group gift, send it to a blogged, rez it out and see the traffic numbers fly up.

[ChinRey]

46 minutes ago, MIstahMoose said:

I'm not sure. Word of mouth goes a long way in SL.

It does and in the long run it's probably the best way for most content creators. It's slow though and I'm not sure if it works well if you focus on custom builds for resale since your customers aren't very interested in recommending your services to their competitors.

 

1 hour ago, MIstahMoose said:

Consider starting your own store to make $$$ While you wait for custom orders.

Oh yes. In addition to what MIstahMoose said, regardless of how your meshes look, you also need to find a way to demonstrate your technical skills. Your tumblr page says "low impact" but everybody say that, you need to prove it. You also need to show that your meshes have good LoD and low render weight. The only way for you to do that is to make your products visible in-world.

[Tari Landar]

Honestly, other than in specific "wanted" sections, while word of mouth goes a long way in sl, many folks tend to look for either an inworld presence(store, location, something) or an MP presence. Custom mesh would be too difficult to list on MP, so that option is out, but an inworld presence would probably help greatly, and joining as many creator groups as you can. There are probably some specifically for custom creators, though I haven't looked recently to check. 

I can't make most mesh to save my life. I buy from people that can make mesh, that I can then use in my products(the vast majority of which I'm still working on lol). I look to the MP, and sometimes inworld, when I'm looking to buy mesh(mostly MP though, I might be in the minority on that one). I also talk to other creators, friends and people I've met that make mesh items, etc.. I don't really use too many groups to find mesh items, but there is one group I am in that is specifically for creators, it's just not all mesh. I forgot the name of it now though. 

Custom mesh doesn't sell nearly as often as mesh available to the masses(full perm or otherwise..ie, not "select numbers available"). That is not to say people aren't looking for it, but for the most part, folks tend to have a specific idea of what it is they want custom made, and will seek that specific item(or items) out-often, either in advertising groups inworld or here on the forums in the wanted/employment sections. Full perm mesh-or at least mesh available to the masses, regardless of perms, also tends to fetch better income-or so I am told by the folks I've talked with that actually make mesh items themselves. I have a few friends that do, and I've made lots of friends that do after buying some of their wares. The most consistent thing the majority of them have said when I asked them is that custom work isn't what it used to be, or, not what it's cracked up to be anyway, because it's way more time consuming and most folks don't want to pay a rl wage for it (I get it...though I respect it's difficult work and definitely *worth the rl wage, my hat is off to most creators..creating is hard work, regardless of one's niche). So most of the folks I know that do mesh, including custom, prefer to just make it available to the masses for sale and can then recoup the rl wage, and more, a lot faster in sales-if that makes sense. I can't verify that myself since my impairment makes creating mesh extremely difficult, it's just what I have been told. Maybe seek out fellow custom mesh makers to get their take on the market, perhaps?

[Tamara Artis]

Heya... 

I'll write an honest opinion and hope you will not feel sad or be ofended by it.

That tumblr page looks rather amateurish... consider avoiding white letters on almost black background (only thing worse that that is yellow/pink letters on black bg), professionally made pages are light for our eyes and shouldn't be hard to read. Same goes for your images, if you create all dark vendor photos thats perfectly fine but then create new ones for your website. These I saw now are kinda hard to figure out the shape of your creation and what goes where (looking at the guns). As it is now, I would say you sell skins or avatar cosmetics because the main thing in your images (those that are in the front) is that big female avatar head.

Also, consider making a website, clear, professional, with all relevant infos. Right now there is this main page and I see "Archive, Details and Theme" and to be honest it feels kinda lost... Consider creating another subpage with images that display your previous work - real raw snapshots, close shot, bright windlight, that show the model from many angles, another with testimonials of your ex customers. Another with a blog where people can read a bit about you... you state how the brand is in business for 7 years now but have nothing else to show except that tumblr page?? 

You charge rush orders but at the same time ask for new customers? Rush orders are charged for when you're busy and have too much work booked and at the same time new people are asking for even more work, then you can offer them rush orders. It is not fair to charge rush order if you're happy to be booked. 

My friend creates custom meshes but he also has a mp store and sells full perm meshes, under each product he states that he is available for custom work and there it is - another great advertising channel used properly! Even if you don't want to do it like this, you can put a notecard with the vendor and write inside whatever you want. I am not sure why so many people avoid going on Facebook and connecting with other merchants/residents. It takes me 5-10mis per day to scroll my Fb and see all new releases, all events and important stuff from SL. 

There are tons of ways a business can advertise itself but, what is best for you is to find yourself a person with experience, pay them an hourly rate and let them do all the marketing for the brand